Bring Me Home
by Scorpiofreak
Summary: <html><head></head>Kidnapped, Elsa manages to escape her captors only to discover that she's miles away from home and stuck within the heart of trouble. She has her ice powers, but how does half a year of practice measure up to murderers and thieves with a lifetime of crime and sin under their belts? She'll do anything to get home, even put up with the rude, cynical stranger escorting her. Elsa/OC</html>
1. Intro: Elsa Escapes

**AN: Honestly, I'm not an avid Frozen fan, but for whatever reason, this idea popped into my head one day and much like a lot of my stories, I decided to write it out for fun. In my opinion, it didn't turn out half-bad, so I thought I'd post it for shits and giggles.**

**I know OC's are always a loaded path to take when writing a story, and I know that this section is probably full of a bunch of bad ones (not entirely sure, haven't read that many Frozen fanfics I'm afraid), but let's see if I can do any better, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters. Any unfamiliar characters though, are obviously mine.**

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><p><em>Conceal. Don't feel. Conceal. Don't feel.<em>

Her lifelong mantra.

It never truly worked for her then, and it most certainly wasn't going to work for her now.

With her pulse pounding loudly in her ears and her breath coming out in quick, frantic pants, Queen Elsa of Arendelle continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her through the dark forest.

As unwise and predictable as it might be for her to run in one straight direction, Elsa had no other sense of direction to follow. Her instincts were telling her to run and that's what she did. She ran through the pitch dark forest without so much of an inkling of which way would lead her to safety while simultaneously trying desperately to avoid tripping over a protruding root, or colliding blindly into a tree trunk.

Afraid and panicked, Elsa was running only on instinct. No ice powers, no thoughts, and no emotions other than uncontrollable fear. Just pure fight-or-flight. Almost like coronation day, but only a hundred times more terrifying and dangerous. How unbelievably foolish of her to believe then that she was running for her life. If Elsa had the power to go back in time, she would slap that newly appointed queen across her spoiled face as hard as she could for not realizing sooner how truly wrong she had been. How truly worse things could've gone for her.

_This_ was what it felt like to truly be running for your life. Mad dashing through an unknown forest without a single clue as to where safety was, on a moonless night, after miraculously escaping a pack of dangerous bandits that could notice her absence at any moment and immediately come looking for her.

And if all that wasn't bad enough, Elsa's legs were screaming in protest at the sudden unrelenting strain she was putting them through. There had been no proper way for her to prepare them for her unexpected escape. She spent nearly a week doing nothing but curling up in a corner of a small cage and dreading the day when her captors finally decided to do whatever it was they planned to do with her. And admittedly, Elsa wasn't very physically inclined in the first place, other than the joyful snowball fights she had with Anna and her slow practice sessions with her powers. Of course, there had been the great freeze on Arendelle, but she didn't exactly have the prospect of pursing bandits dogging her heels to help spur her on. Nobody but Anna had followed her after Elsa first fled from her kingdom.

She was a royal, a queen. She was trained to run a kingdom, not soldier through harsh conditions and overwhelming physical situations that would have even someone like Kristoff huffing and puffing.

It also wasn't a comfort to know that any use of her powers at the moment would be an extremely bad idea. Not only was there the possibility of accidentally scaring off any potential help with her "witchcraft", but the bandits were highly aware of what she could do. Any signs of random placed ice in the snowless forest she was running through would be an obvious trail the bandits could use to track her down.

It was by sheer dumb luck that Elsa managed to escape the first time. She seriously doubted a second attempt would be possible should this one fail.

The man posted as Elsa's cell guard that evening had been someone she was unfortunately acquainted with, not only having been present during the bandits' raid and her kidnapping, but also having been posted as her guard a few times before. Elsa was able to easily distinguish _him_ from the other foul-smelling, filth-covered, yellow-toothed brutes just by his disgusting voice. It made the queen want to retch every time she heard it.

This particular scoundrel had made it his favorite hobby to verbally harass Elsa every chance he got.

Whenever his heavy footfalls lumbered down the rickety, wooden staircase, towards the single chair and ship barrel set up a few feet from the door of Elsa's cell, she could always trust that he would sit down in that chair with a heavy grunt, always holding an unlabeled bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage tightly in his hand, and a hooded gaze that would immediately lock on Elsa's curled up form in the dark corner of her cell. From there, he would proceed in telling her all the disgusting, unspeakable things he would do to her if "The Boss" let him, and he said it all with as much vivid detail as possible to make her current predicament even more unbearable than it was before, which Elsa didn't initially believe was even possible until this pig came along.

The first time he was posted as her guard, which was also happened to be her first night in her cell, she had been completely dumbfounded at the man's repulsive words. Being of royal blood and heir to the Arendelle throne, Elsa had obviously _never_ been spoken to in such a vulgar manner. So needless to say, it was more than a little shocking when the man suddenly started speaking of removing her clothing and "marking up her pretty silk skin".

It lost its stun factor after the third time though. She had gotten used to the abuse and learned to ignore it, much to the bandit's chagrin. Several times he attempted to remedy this by upping the sickening details, but Elsa spent her whole life shutting out people. Once his words ran their course, he was no match for her indifference. Instead of disgust being written blatantly across her shocked face, Elsa just brought her hands up to cover her ears and sung softly to herself in her head as she moved her body in a way where she wouldn't have to see the thug's ugly face peering in through the cell bars.

Thankfully, he had never tried to act on his disgusting words, never had the courage to go against "The Boss's" orders until the night of her unexpected escape, but even then, Elsa couldn't say with a hundred percent certainty what his exact intentions were. Although, she could only assume they meant only pain for her with the way the thug stared at her with a heated look that would surely haunt the queen's nightmares for years to come. It wouldn't take a genius to guess that Elsa was in serious trouble.

However, for whatever reason there was explaining why Elsa's lifelong streak of bad luck suddenly decided to give her a break, the several bottles of alcohol the thug had consumed during his usual monologue had chosen to hit him moments before he turned the key.

Elsa's face curled up in repulsion as she shut her eyes and covered her nose when the thug doubled over sluggishly and vomited all over the stone floor, slurring indistinctly before passing out in the pile of his own mess with the cell key still embedded in the lock.

It took several seconds for her brain to kickstart itself again, completely thrown by what just happened. When it finally stopped stalling, the queen pulled herself to her feet as quickly as her stiff limbs would allow and practically dove for the cell door. She made quick work of the lock and ran out of the dungeon she was imprisoned in without a single look back.

Luck continued to be on her side when she ran up the staircase and discovered there were no other men guarding the shack-like entrance to the dungeon. After she slipped her way out of that, it was nothing but running. The dungeon appeared to be separate from the bandits' main hideout. It was too dark to see anything distinctive around her, but there was a large cabin house a few yards away with bright lights and shouting voices coming from within. She chose to run in the opposite direction.

Elsa's whole body ached painfully at the abuse she was putting it through. Her ragged breathing was wearing thin on the adrenaline that steadily ceased to course through her icy veins until she was eventually forced to slow down.

"Alright, I think that's far enough for now."

The exhausted queen panted softly to herself in her scratchy, under-used voice as she finally allowed herself to fall to her knees. There was a sharp sting in her already aching kneecaps when they hit the forest floor, but Elsa was beyond caring.

"Need to rest."

The slight chill that blew through the night helped cleanse Elsa of the smog of despair and fear that hung over her head like Olaf's flurry cloud for the past week. The sudden release almost made the drained queen sob.

As she slowly lowered her body to the filthy ground and curled into a ball, Elsa marveled at how long and how far she was able to push herself. Her captors spared no opportunity to keep her weakened and submissive while she was trapped in her cell. The food they served her was barely edible, the water was never clean and always had a funny smell to it, every inch of her cell was covered in unsightly grime including the ground she slept on, and she has been wearing the same dress for almost a week.

Fortunately though, it was one of her more modest dresses and not anything that would "tempt" the brutish band of thugs that held her captive like, heaven forbid, her ice dress.

And to think, Elsa had _almost_ worn it that day. If it hadn't been for the fact that the joyous celebration being held that day was her little sister's _wedding_, than she would have.

At the thought of her sister, Elsa curled further into herself as the dead grass and dirt around her slowly became coated with glistening frost, not even caring if the haphazard circle would later be used to track her direction when the bandits finally caught up. The coldness of the ice, mixed with the crisp chill of the early Winter night, comforted Elsa in ways she never imagined it would. Although the cold never affected her physically in any harmful way, it always served as a constant reminder of her self-isolation during those years she spent cowering behind her bedroom door.

Now, the queen reveled in the feel of it. She greedily soaked up every numbing sensation it had to offer because it felt like freedom again. Just like when she fled her coronation ball in favor of the towering mountain that would later house her ice castle, but only ten times sweeter. The openness off the air around her helped banish the claustrophobic hold that gripped her within the rusted bars of her cell. The fresh scent of pine and dirt helped rid her senses of the sour smell of filth and rot that caked the moldy walls of the dungeon. And the blessed coldness banished the choking humidity that blanketed the underground room, making it nearly impossible for Elsa to use her ice powers even if she wanted to.

She never tried though. She never even gave the idea a second thought after the threat the lead bandit had made to her when she finally gained consciousness again after being harshly knocked out when she was kidnapped.

Elsa hadn't been able to conjure up a decent image of the bandit leader's face due to the fact that her mind had still been heavily clouded and sluggish after her slow climb back into the waking world, but it wouldn't have mattered much anyway. The leader had been wearing a black hood over his head and a blood-red bandanna around the lower half of his face.

The hooded man's threat still rang clear as a bell though.

_'If I see so much as a sliver ice come from you, I will personally go back to Arendelle, slice open the throats of your sister and brother-in-law, murder every single servant in your castle, and burn your whole goddamn kingdom to the ground. Then, I'll come back and deal with_ you.'

She remembered every syllable the man said, every note in his unwavering voice, and the sadistic glint in his eyes that shined when he spoke of burning her kingdom down. She also remembered the fear she felt for Anna and Kristoff's safety and how the bandit forced her to see the truth behind his horrifying words when he twisted his fingers into her blonde hair. He had yanked painfully on it with such an unrelenting hold, Elsa thought he was going to rip the pale strands right out of her scalp. His cold, dead eyes bore into hers with complete and utter seriousness, just _daring_ her to test him.

If Elsa ever had more of a reason to "Conceal, don't feel", then that would most definitely be it.

The fear from the bandit leader's threat still weighed heavily on Elsa's heart. She knew her escape attempt would cost her dearly if she didn't find help soon. However, Elsa needed to rest more anything right now. There was no way she would successfully escape her captors if she kept pushing herself without stopping, no matter how much she wanted to be back home in her kingdom, with Anna.

This was _not_ how things were suppose to go. This was not how she pictured Anna's wedding in her head, the ceremony or the aftermath. She was suppose to be standing closely behind Anna, watching proudly as her beautiful little sister was joined together with the wonderful man she loved. The man who helped Anna on her journey and ultimately ended up saving the lives of both sisters.

How had the happy festivities diverted so tragically off path without even a single warning?

Elsa thought back to the day before the wedding. The last time she remembered feeling relaxed and content, sharing a close moment with her sister before bracing herself for the onslaught of last-minute wedding preparations and the unexpected events that would follow.

~O~

_For all the sadness and grief Elsa had ever caused her, it only seemed natural for the queen to allow Anna to wear their mother's old wedding dress on her big day. Expectations would've had the precious garment saved for the day Elsa finally took a king to rule by her side, but they weren't her expectations and she didn't think twice about venturing into their parent's long-empty bedroom and retrieving the dress from the back of their closet._

_The dazzling smile Anna gave her when Elsa revealed her surprise and presented the dress to her sister was an image the queen will never let herself forget._

_"Elsa! You can't be doing what I thinking you're doing!"_

_"Oh but I am," Elsa smiled warmly at the giddy redhead before prompting Anna to take the dress from her arms. "Go try it on. We need to make sure it fits before the ceremony tomorrow."_

_Anna looked down at the lacey white material of their mother's dress with unrestrained glee. Practically bouncing in place, the beaming princess snatched up the dress as gently as she could in her excitement before speeding off to the other side of her bedroom and disappearing into the closet._

_Elsa couldn't help but flinch when she heard a loud crash and a surprised yelp from within the closet._

_"Be careful, Anna!" She called out._

_"I am!" Anna called back, slightly muffled by the closet door. "It's all good! I just knocked over some boxes!"_

_"Do you need any help?" She approached the closet._

_"No, no! I got it! I'll be out in a minute!"_

_Elsa chuckled softly to herself when she heard another crash and a soft curse come from the closet. She walked back across the room and took a seat on the edge of Anna's bed, waiting patiently until Anna came back out. When she finally did, Anna walked slowly from the closet, staring down at the dress that graced her body and marveling the sheer beauty of it. She then looked up at her sister with tearful eyes as she tried to keep herself from whimpering._

_"It's perfect."_

_"Yes, it is," Elsa smiled proudly at her sister, watching as the hyperactive woman quickly made her way over to her bedroom mirror. "How does it fit?"_

_Anna picked up two handfuls of the dress' skirt and gave Elsa a grand twirl. "Perfect! It fits like a glove!"_

_Elsa laced her fingers together in front her and regarded her sister with a soft look of relieved approval. "Wonderful, we won't have to make any adjustments then."_

_Anna barely registered Elsa's words as she continued to watch herself in the mirror. She swished the skirt of the white dress back and forth, simply in awe at how beautiful the dress made her look and feel. Of course nobody could look more beautiful in it than their mother, but Anna felt confident enough to admit inside the privacy of own her head that she made a pretty decent runner-up. She just loved watching herself twirl in the mirror. She found the way the skirt curled around her legs utterly gorgeous and hypnotic._

_Elsa looked in on the heartfelt sight with deep fondness. Admittedly though, she felt guilty that she wasn't completely in the moment. Her heart was, fully and truly, but her mind was a little preoccupied with other things. It was a great relief for the queen to hear that the dress fit. She had been stressing about that for weeks now. When planning such a joyful, important event, Elsa wanted to be three steps ahead of everything so she could minimize the chances of something problematic happening, like the wedding dress not fitting the bride - but at the same time, Elsa wanted her gift to Anna to be a last-minute, before-the-wedding surprise. She remedied this by having the royal tailor on standby outside in the hall._

_The queen made a mental note among the dozens of other mental notes involving the wedding to inform the tailor that his services wouldn't be needed for the bride. She also made a mental note to make sure they wouldn't be needed for the groom as well, but that could wait until later._

_"I just wanted to thank you again for letting me wear mama's dress," Anna smiled bashfully at Elsa through the mirror, bringing the queen from her thoughts before they had a chance to veer off into an endless stream of tangents. "I know tradition says that this is supposed to be an honor meant for the eldest daughter, w-which is you of course, but-"_

_"Forget the tradition, Anna," Elsa held up a hand to silence her. "I'm not going to be wearing it anytime soon and you look absolutely beautiful in it."_

_"Thanks," Her shoulders rolled up to her ears and a light pink blush spread across the bridge of her freckled nose. "What are you going to wear?"_

_"The blue dress I have hanging on the front of my closet door," Elsa replied absentmindedly as she start rifling through the dress box still laying on Anna's bed for the dress' matching accessories._

_Anna knotted her brow in thought, thinking back to that morning when she was in Elsa's room while her sister fished out the wispy veil and sparkly tiara that went along with her dress. It took her a few moments to remember which dress she was talking about. The dress hanging on Elsa's closet door had been remarkably plain, especially compared to her other dresses. It consisted of a black bodice and a blue skirt with silver designs on the front of her chest and bottom of the skirt. The trimming on the bodice matched the designs and the sleeves were respectfully thin. They would hang loosely off Elsa's exposed shoulders and leave her arms bare, but it would still display a clear sense of modesty and tastefulness that was expected of a queen._

_"But that one is so...plain," Anna trailed off in confusion. "Everybody's suppose to go all out on weddings! I know you have much prettier dresses than that in your wardrobe, Elsa."_

_"Yes, more than I will ever have a chance to wear in one lifetime, but it's not my job to look stunning and radiant tomorrow. It's yours."_

_"But..."_

_"Tomorrow is your day," Elsa cut in, reminding her. "Much like the flowers and lights, I'll just be a background decoration."_

_Anna gasped. "Don't talk like that, Elsa! You're one of the most important people to me in the whole world! I could never have a wedding that didn't include you!"_

_Elsa laughed, holding up a hand. "I just meant most of the attention will be on you and Kristoff instead of me for once, so don't worry. It'll be a welcomed reprieve."_

_The two sisters shared a laugh before gradually quieting down. They smiled brightly at each other until Anna looked down at her dress again and let out a soft sigh._

_"Well, I'm glad the wedding dress issue has been solved. I was starting to get a little worried when the tailor only started fitting Kristoff for his suit and not me. There's still one big problem we're overlooking though."_

_"Oh?" Elsa shot her sister an amused look. "And what's that?"_

_"If I'm wearing mama's dress on my wedding day, what are YOU going to wear on yours?"_

_Elsa let out a genuine laugh at that, bringing a hand up near her mouth and letting her shoulders shake freely before stopping short when she saw Anna's face and realized her sister was being serious. She gave Anna a pensive look before frowning. Leave it to Anna to be so hopelessly optimistic._

_"Oh Anna, I don't think that's something we're ever going to have to worry about," Elsa admitted with a small smile. It was a sad thing to admit, but Elsa felt her heart go out more to the crestfallen look on Anna's face than the very likely possibility that she was fated to rule her kingdom alone. It wasn't something Elsa spent a lot of time worrying about because she honestly didn't care. Whether she ruled alone or with a king, it didn't matter to her just as long as she was given time to properly adjust to any changes. She avoided letting things overwhelm her like the plague these days._

_"Well, not with that attitude we won't!" Anna proclaimed with a huff. She put her hands on her hips and slowly shook her head at her sister. "You need to start thinking more positively."_

_"Anna..." Elsa started before letting out a sigh. "Let's not talk about this. This is your time. We deal with your problems for right now, not mine. Now turn around, let's see how this dress looks when it's correctly laced up."_

_Anna reluctantly did as she was asked and turned around, giving Elsa access to the ribbons that ran along the back of the dress. "So does that imply we can talk about it after the wedding?"_

_"No," Elsa said testily as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her hands reached up and begun to work at the bindings of the dress, occasionally pulling a little harder than necessary in her annoyance. "I rather not talk about it ever, if it's all the same to you."_

_"But-"_

_"No buts."_

_Flinching slightly at her sister's curt tone, Anna watched Elsa work quietly through the mirror._

_"There's hope for everybody, you know."_

_Elsa's eyes flickered up from her task. "Excuse me?"_

_"If there's somebody out there for a total train wreck like me, than there's definitely someone out there for you."_

_Elsa rolled her eyes, unable to stop herself this time. "Anna, I know the whole finding one's "soul mate" is your thing, but please keep in mind it isn't for everybody, okay? I've got more important things to worry about right now."_

_"Oh whatever," Anna sighed wistfully as she squirmed slightly when Elsa pulled a ribbon too tight. "I just love you to bits, that's all!"_

_"I know you do and I love you too," Elsa smiled warmly at her sister before looking back down at her hands. "Now stop fetching! We need to get this done!"_

_"Okay, okay!" Anna whined loudly before laughing. "I just want you to be happy! Is that so wrong?"_

_"I am happy, Anna."_

_She looked back over her shoulder and looked her sister in the eyes with a hopeful smile. "The happiest?"_

_Elsa nodded and returned her smile as she picked up the tiara and veil from the ground next to their feet and placed it on top of Anna's head. She adjusted the tiara until it was perfect and gently smoothed out the long veil so it flared out behind her. The queen then handed her sister the long, white gloves that went along with the dress and waited as Anna slipped them on. _

_With Anna's wedding outfit more or less complete, sans her hair and jewelry, Elsa smiled proudly again at the young bride in the mirror before reaching up from behind and wrapping her arms around Anna's shoulders in a warm hug._

_"The happiest," She promised._

~O~

Elsa was pulled from her memories by a faint sound coming from behind her, far in the distance but steadily growing louder. She quickly sat up and focused all her attention on her surroundings while forcing herself to remain as silent as possible.

At first, there was nothing. Not even the sound of the wind blowing through the bare trees. Everything was dead quick until she heard it again. The sound of...

Dogs.

A lead ball of panic dropped into Elsa's stomach when she recognized the approaching sound of barking dogs.

_'No, no, no, no, no! They've noticed that I've escaped!'_

Elsa climbed stiffly to her feet and gathered up the front of her dress before breaking out into another run. Her legs screamed in protest, but she ignored them and kept pushing forward. She still had no idea where she was going. It was too dark and hopelessness clung to the queen like a disease as she ran.

However, no matter how bleak the path ahead looked, Elsa knew it was a thousand times better than what was waiting for her back at the bandits' hideout. She kept the terrifying thought well in mind as she continued to run with every ounce of strength still left inside her body.

It wasn't enough though, she knew that. God, why wasn't it ever enough?

Elsa could hear the dogs getting closer as she continued to flee. She risked a quick look back and felt her panic skyrocket when she saw the faint glow of torches in the distance. The small balls of ominous lighting were drawing just as close as the barking dogs were. Elsa could feel the familiar sensation of ice dancing along her fingertips and skin as her fear increased and she had to stifle a whimper. She prayed that she wasn't leaving behind a path of icy footsteps on the forest floor.

_'No! Not now! Don't do this to me now! They'll see and they'll know! I need to get help, I need to get home, I need to-'_

Elsa let out a startled cry when the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath her feet and she found herself plummeting downwards. She felt the air leave her lungs as she barreled down a slope of loose dirt and small rocks, her body rolling over itself like a snowball rolling down a hill. For several seconds her world spun until it came to a sudden stop when she landed in a pile of dead leaves at the base of a large cluster of trees.

Battered and bruised, the young queen laid sprawled out on her back among the orange and red leaves. She coughed hard as her body struggled to recover from its fall, greedily sucking in mouthfuls of crisp air back into her aching lungs. From the top of the slope she had just fallen down, Elsa could hear the barks and howls of the dogs passing over where she lay motionless on the forest floor. She let out a soft sob of genuine joy when the light from the torches and angry shouts from the bandits passed her by too. Her sudden topple and roll through the dirt and leaves must've helped thrown the dogs off course.

It was a great relief, but she knew it wouldn't last for long. Once the dogs picked up the her change in direction and the bandits realized her trail had gone completely cold, they would backtrack.

However, despite knowing this, Elsa couldn't find the strength within her to pick herself up and keep running. Her fall had been the final straw. She was officially spent. She couldn't move even if her life depended on it, which in this case, it very well did. She probably couldn't even move if the snarling muzzles of the bandits' mutts were inches from her face.

She continued to lay on the ground, blinking slowly up at the cloudy sky and absently tracing the faint outline of the moon behind them with her half-lidded eyes. The sounds of her pursuers faded further and further in the distance until there was nothing but the sounds of a running stream a few yards to Elsa's right, and leaves scrapping against the ground as a cold wind swept through the forest.

As Elsa laid half buried under the pile of leaves, her mind flashed back to the very beginning of this nightmare she found herself in. The day of Anna and Kristoff's wedding, just after they exchanged their heartfelt vows. The bandits came out of nowhere, with absolutely no warning. The wedding ceremony was held in the garden of the kingdom instead of the church, as Anna requested only moments after being proposed to months earlier. She wanted to make the best of the good weather before Winter settled in. The bandits seemed to rain down from the top of the castle and glide unnaturally over the high hedge walls of the garden. No one was prepared for the attack and a widespread panic broke out instantly among the guests. They scattered like scared hens as the bandits begun their raid.

Elsa felt her heart hitch painfully in her throat as she remembered the last time she saw Anna. When the chaos broke out, the royals at the altar dashed for safety with Kristoff and Sven in the lead. They knocked back any attacking bandits that blocked their path with broad shoulders and reindeer antlers while the queen and princess trailed closely behind. They were still far off from their exit when Anna suddenly tripped over the bottom of their mother's wedding dress, her life-long clumsiness rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune moment of all time.

The leader of the bandits went straight for the queen, taking full advantage of her distracted state and cutting down any guards that got in his way. Elsa had been too focused on helping Anna up and ushering her and Olaf towards the garden entrance of the kingdom to realize in time that someone was coming up behind her. She felt an explosion of pain erupt in the back of her skull and spots immediately flooded her vision as she fell to the ground like a sack of bricks. The last thing she remembered seeing before blacking out was the terrified face of her sister as she struggled against the hold Kristoff had around her narrow waist, fighting like wild animal while screaming Elsa's name and reaching out a desperate hand that only grasped air. The ice merchant shot Elsa a helpless, apologetic look as he continued to haul the struggling princess back into the safety of the castle.

Now, laying in a dark forest miles away from her home and sister, Elsa could see the familiar blackness eating away at the corners of her vision. She remembered sending a silent prayer above to whomever may be watching and willing to listen, that Anna would remain safe until Elsa found her way home again and that the bandit leader wouldn't get the chance to make good on his promise to the ice queen.

After that, Elsa remembered nothing.

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><p><strong>AN: Alrighty then, I hoped you enjoyed reading. At the moment, I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to make a full-length story out of this. I don't even know if this will even go anywhere, but if by some strange chance that it does and I get a lot of positive feedback, then I'll continue. So, if you enjoyed reading my story, then please leave a review letting me know and we'll see where this takes us. If you didn't like it, then please express your thoughts in a polite, constructive manner, or don't say anything at all.<strong>

**Sorry for any mistakes in the text. I don't have a beta reader for this story yet. If you come across one, let me know in a review and I'll fix it!**

**~Scorpiofreak~**


	2. Tobias and Lollie

**AN: Sorry for the delay! Computer troubles. Thanks for all the reviews and feedback! To the readers with accounts and active PM features, I replied to them personally and gave thanks, but to all you Anons out there, I'm so glad you took the time to leave me a review! It means a lot to me! **

**So, since this story hasn't turned into a big flop just yet, I decided to post another chapter. Hopefully it'll continue to keep your interest and bring in more readers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or any of its characters.**

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><p>Elsa snapped back into consciousness with a loud gasp.<p>

The leaves and dead twigs that collected around her were tossed up into the air when the top half of Elsa's body sprung up in sudden alertness. Her aching chest heaved heavily as she panted. Her eyes were wide and practically popping out of her skull as they blindly scanned her surroundings, not truly seeing anything and unsuccessfully processing nothing in her shock.

The dry leaves floated down around her, collecting in her pale blonde hair and drifting in front of her face. For a stalling moment, she watched a lone, yellow leaf twirl and spin in a soft wisp of breeze before it slowly floated down, inches from her face. Her blue eyes were filled to the brim with confusion, having no idea where she was and how she got there. However, when the leaf faintly brushed along the tip of Elsa's nose, the foreign sensation sliced through the fog in her mind and it snapped back into action, causing her to reel backwards away from the pile of leaves scattered around her.

She scrambled across the ground on her bottom with her legs kicking frantically until her back hit the trunk of the tree behind her. She let out another gasp and looked up at the bare, ominous trees towering above her with their jagged branches looking like sharp claws reaching out for flesh in her disoriented panic. Her body was suddenly functional and still poised in the heat of the moment, but her mind lagged three steps behind as the memory of her escape flashed behind her eyes. Her body urged her to run from danger that wasn't really there. She tore away from the trees as fast as she could, leaving behind a burst of frost that coated the tree trunks and ground. She only managed to get a few feet away though.

In her haste, she had forgotten to hick up the skirt of her dress. The filthy blue material snagged beneath her shoes and she stumbled forward with her hands instinctively moving out in front of her, somewhat cushioning the impact when she finally lost her balance and fell on her stomach.

For a moment, Elsa laid flat on the ground, panting heavily. Her body went limp with temporary defeat and her head turned to the side so she wouldn't inhale the cloud of dirt that puffed up around her when she fell. She just laid there, her brain processing and her body trembling. When the adrenaline started winding down again, the sounds of the forest reached her ears.

She heard the sound of a running stream. It was a welcoming sound that prompted her to raise her head with a small groan. Her eyes landed on a small stream a few feet ahead of her.

The mere sight of the blue liquid reminded Elsa instantly how bone-dry her mouth and throat were. She would've literally jumped at the chance to finally have a drink of fresh water, but since her body still felt heavy as lead, she held off her nearly unbearable thirst for another few seconds as she lifted the top-half of her body up with trembling arms and slowly crawled her way towards the babbling brook. When she was close enough to dip her hands into the cool water, she did so quickly to avoid accidentally freezing it solid.

The water felt like heaven and silk as she drank handfuls of it as quickly as she could without making herself sick. She drank until the dryness in her mouth was soothed and her lungs screamed for air. There was a significant boost in her morale once she had her fill, and for a moment, everything didn't seem so bad...

Until she caught sight of her reflection in the water and discovered she was a walking disaster.

The whites of her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, the red clashing unpleasantly with the ice blue. She also had dark bags underneath her eyes from the lack of sleep she suffered during her imprisonment. The pale skin of her face was covered in a thin layer of grime along with her hands and fingernails. Her thin, pink lips were dry and chapped. Her platinum blonde hair could only be described as a rat's nest.

The elegant, braided up-do she had it styled in for Anna's wedding gradually became more undone and unkempt throughout her short stint in captivity, but now it was completely free of all ribbons and bindings. It was a mass of tangles and knots with the shorter strands up near her face sticking out at odd angles.

There was almost no resemblance to the delicate, regal figure that always greeted Elsa through her bedroom vanity mirror. Under any other, _normal,_ circumstances, the snow queen might've relished in the idea, but right now, it only made her eyes water for the hundredth time that night as she brought a hand up towards her mouth to help hold back a broken sob.

Suddenly frantic again, Elsa dunked her hands into the stream and brought up handfuls of water to splash her face with. She was desperate. Desperate to get the filth off. Desperate to make her appearance reflect some illusion of normalcy again. Desperate to wash away the memories of Anna's crashed wedding, her own kidnapping, the pig guarding her cell, the bandit leader's threat on her sister's life, the possibility he was on his way to Arendelle _right now_ to fulfill that threat, and just the past week in its entirety.

However, she only managed to get most of the dirt off her face and pat down her frazzled hair so it hung limply in unwashed strands before her mounting hysteria finally caused a physical reaction and frost erupted around her wrists while she had them submerged in the water. In seconds, the surface of the stream clouded over with a solid layer of jagged ice.

Elsa pulled away with a sharp gasp and quickly tore her hands out of the water before the ice could fully harden. She watched with wide eyes as the ice continued to spread along the entire stream, but she didn't stay to see if it would spread any further. The queen gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and hiked the ends up so she could hop over the frozen stream.

She ran for as long as she could without exhausting herself further until she eventually slowed down to a brisk walk. Her eyes trailed nervously along the path in front of her as she forced herself to focus on anything but being captured again. The forest around her was silent and empty, there was nobody there but her. Just poor little Elsa and her racing thoughts.

One foot in front of the other. That's the only thing she decided to focus on. Everything else could wait. Just putting one foot in front of the other. If she did that enough, she was bound to come across a house or a town, somewhere she could find help and maybe a nice place to sit down and rest for a while.

She walked until she saw a light in the distance. It was impossible to miss among the bare trees and dark shadows of the late night. Elsa's breath hitched at the sight and she found her feet moving faster, bringing her closer to the little light that slowly grew the closer she got until she was able to make out a large cabin. She gasped loudly at her discovery, unsure whether to keep moving, or let herself fall to her knees and cry. She chose to do the former, but only until reality set in again and she stopped dead in her tracks among the cluster of trees surrounding the cabin's yard.

Hope blossomed anew when Elsa first saw the cabin, but now that she thought about it, she didn't know who lived in that cabin. Of course she hoped it would be someone who could help her, someone who could provide her sanctuary and hide her from the possibly still pursuing bandits, but she would just be assuming. Was she really in a position to assume anything right now?

On the one hand, the forest seemed to be endless with a scarce amount of foliage for her to hide within should the bandits and their mutts pick up on her trail again. This could be her one and only chance to get help and elude capture again. She could very well be _miles_ away from the nearest town.

On the other hand, the inhabitants of the cabin could be just as dangerous as the bandits she was running from. By seeking their help, there was about a fifty-fifty chance she could just be trading one set of abusers for another.

It was a tough decision to make with the crux of the problem being that she wouldn't know if she made the right choice until she knocked on the door.

However, before her weary mind could drift off into another repetitive circle of thought on all the different ways something like that could blow up in her face, the sound of clopping hooves and an approaching carriage pulled Elsa's attention away from the cabin. She looked towards the opposite end of the property where another glowing light moved along the well-traveled path leading towards the cabin.

Elsa's eyes widened at the flickering firelight, seemingly hypnotized by it as a horse pulling a wagon full of hay came into view. The queen quickly shook herself from her stupor and ducked behind a nearby tree.

When the wagon came to a stop on the edges of the cabin's front yard, the glowing lantern light moved from the front to the side as a man climbed down with an audible grunt. From where Elsa lurked, she could see he was an older gentleman. He stood tall and sturdy with long, silver-white hair, pulled back from his eyes and tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. A short, white beard grew along the bottom half of his face while his slightly hunched over, but still imposing, form was clad in a long, wool coat.

He brought a hand up to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle through his fingers. Almost immediately, the sharp sound was followed by an excited bark that rang out loudly through the silent night. Elsa cringed, her mind already taking on a bad association to the sound.

A dog popped up from somewhere within the pile of hay and jumped down to answer its master's call. It was one of those sheep herding dogs with white and cream-colored fur. It leaped around the man's legs gleefully with its barks high-pitched and its tail wagging furiously, but he only ignored its pleas for late night playtime as he stepped around the dog and moved towards the grey horse hooked up to the wagon. He set the lantern down on the ground and started undoing the horse's bindings while his dog sat dutifully near him.

When the questionable pair fell into silence while the man worked and the dog laid down to wait patiently, Elsa decided to move out from behind her tree and inch a little closer to them, feeling the need to do something other than stare vacantly from the shadows, waiting for a miracle to fall in her lap.

She tried her best to stay as quiet as possible, but stealth wasn't one of the queenly lessons Elsa had shoved down her throat as a child. True, she was a lot more inconspicuous than Anna, whose clumsy footfalls could be heard from miles away, but even Elsa knew she made a stupid mistake by focusing too much on the man and his dog, and not enough on where she was stepping. She let out a quiet gasp and flinched when a dry twig snapped underneath her foot.

At the sound of the snapping twig, the man abruptly stopped tugging at the horse's bindings while the cream collie's ears perked up in attention. It raised its black nose into the air and sniffed before turning its head in Elsa's direction and growling. Cursing her foolishness, the queen quickly dipped behind another thick tree.

The man looked back behind his shoulder and picked up his lantern, his eyes scanning the dark forest around them. When his dog's growls turned into barks, he unbuttoned his coat and pulled back one side to reveal a small hatchet hanging on his leather belt. He pulled it from its loop and raised it up in defense.

"Who's there?" He called out, his voice deep and slightly hoarse from age.

Elsa stood rooted in her spot behind the tree with her back pressed against the trunk. She shut her eyes tight as the dog's barks continued. She debated heavily with herself on whether she should stay hidden and pray the man would disregard the sound and move on, or show herself and risk encountering a man just as dangerous as the ones she barely escaped.

When the man's voice sounded out again, Elsa carefully peeked around the tree trunk, unable to help herself. She was thankful the light from his lantern wasn't bright enough to expose her hiding spot.

"Come out where I can see you!" He demanded loudly. His face was hard and serious, his breath coming out in short puffs. His grip on the hatchet tightened, making it clear that he was ready and willing to use it if he needed to. "Now! I won't ask again!"

Elsa took a deep breath and looked towards the stars for courage as she finally came to a decision.

The dog's barks died down to warning growls when the queen began to slowly walk forward from the shadows. The man turned to face her direction with his hatchet still raised when he heard the sound of her approaching footsteps and the bottom of her dress scraping across the forest floor. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her. The gesture was more for comfort than anything else, but it helped her play the part of a freezing young maiden in trouble better, which was really a half-truth.

When the man caught sight of a shadow coming towards him, he squinted through the darkness with a scowl on his bearded face, but immediately gave way to confusion and surprise when Elsa came into full view and the man got a clear look at her pathetic, trembling form.

"What in the world..." He trailed off softly as his stormy grey eyes took in the battered young woman. His steely gaze trailed over her ruined party dress, dirt-caked skin, dazzling blue orbs, and platinum hair that hung in her face and cascaded over her shoulders.

Elsa stopped several feet from the man and his dog, standing on the very edge of the yellow lighting from his lantern. She made sure she was close enough for him to see that she was unarmed, but far enough for her to get a running start if her doubts proved to be true and he tried to attack her.

Neither of them moved as they stood there looking, sizing each other up.

Elsa spoke up first.

"Please," She almost flinched at the sound of her own voice. "Please, I need help."

Feeling a little more confident that he wasn't going to immediately charge her, Elsa took another step forward and held up a hand in front of her in an unthreatening gesture, but stepped back with her hand back against her chest again when his dog bared its teeth at her.

The man quickly shushed the dog before lowering his hatchet and placing it back on his belt. "What on God's green earth are you doing out here in the middle of the night, child?"

"I need help," Elsa repeated with a small hiccup. She could feel fresh tears sting her eyes as she struggled to keep her thoughts in order and her emotions in check, but failing miserably on both ends. "I've been running through the forest trying to find someone to help me I was taken from my home and held captive for days I have no idea where I am or how far away from home I am There's these men who are chasing after me and I really need-"

"Alright, alright, stop," He demanded gently while holding up a hand. "I need to you to slow down. I can't understand you. Just take a deep breath."

She nodded obediently with a stifled sob and did as she was told.

He gave her an approving smile. "That's better. Now, what were you saying about men chasing you?"

"They're bandits! They kidnapped me from my kingdom and held me captive!"

"Bandits?" The man echoed, his brow knotted tightly. His gaze moved from Elsa's face towards the direction she came from. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something, his expression hard while his eyes searched the forest intensely until a flash of recognition passed across his face.

"Yes," Elsa nodded with another hiccup. She didn't like the sudden change in his demeanor. It went from concerned to emotionless in an alarming instant. "They kept me in a dungeon not too far from here. I managed to escape them, but they could be back at anytime and I need somewhere-"

"I can't help you," The man cut her off suddenly as he abruptly turned his back to her.

She blinked owlishly at him, unsure if she had just heard him correctly. "W-what?"

"I can't help you," He repeated, a little harsher than he intended.

Elsa stared at him with disbelief as he unhooked the rest of his horse's bindings. Her brain lagged for a moment. Where did this sudden change come from? He seemed so willing to help her just moments before. What happened?

"I-I don't understand."

He refused to look at her. "You should move on now. There ain't nothing for you here."

She continued to stare at the old man's back. He picked up his lantern and whistled sharply for his animals to follow him as he began to walk towards his home with a noticeable limp in his right leg. Seeing that he fully intended to turn her away, Elsa catapulted into action, hiking up her dress skirt again and running to catch up to him.

"Wait!" She called. "Please stop! I need help!"

He stopped walking and rounded on her with a grim expression. He looked straight ahead at her downtrodden face, but Elsa could tell he was still trying to avoid her eyes, knowing that his abrupt brush off wasn't a sudden act of apathy on his part. No matter how much he tried to make it look like it.

"Then I suggest you keep moving. There should be a town a few miles that way."

He pointed his lantern North, but Elsa only shook her head. "I won't make it."

"That's not my problem," He said, turning away again and stepping up on to the porch of his house. "Just go now. You'll bring nothing but trouble if you stay."

Elsa stood frozen in place as she watched the man climb his porch steps. Her eyes were big and frightful as panic and hopelessness clawed away at her insides, making her feel even more sick to her stomach than she was before.

"_Please!_" She cried, dropping the skirt of her dress before bringing both hands together in front of her. If her situation hadn't been so desperate, she might've marveled at how things had changed for her; a fully established, regal queen standing in the middle of nowhere, broken down and helpless, literally begging a stranger to take her in. "If they find me, they'll kill me!"

The man stopped again in the middle of his porch at her pleas for sanctuary. He didn't turn around again, but it was obvious his cold decision - although ideal in the case of his own survival - was making it difficult for him to walk away, pitching what he _shouldn't_ do against what he _couldn't_ do.

He _shouldn't_ invite the young woman into his home because of the obvious bulls-eye she had pinned to her back. Her unfortunate business with the deadly bandits could very well become _his_ unfortunate business if he were to be caught helping her, which would mean trouble for him that a man of his age really didn't need to deal with. However, despite the waving red flags in his head trying to dissuade him from doing something stupid, what kind of man would he be if he rejected her? He _shouldn't_ get involved, but he _couldn't_ condemn a mere child to death just because it would be more convenient for him in the long-haul.

What kind of a man would he be? Not a very proud one.

It all boiled down to a crippling, internal conflict between his head and his heart. A conflict involving potentially unfavorable outcomes on both sides.

"Please," Elsa repeated in a soft whisper, her voice trembling. "I don't want to die out here."

Silence fell over them again as the queen's words hung thickly in the air, the only sounds being the rustling of dead leaves as a cold breeze swept over them and the soft whines of the man's dog as it waited near the front door of the cabin for its human.

Then, after what seemed like hours, he looked back over his shoulder at her. His faux indifference slowly melted away as his eyes finally met hers to reveal the return of the merciful kindness and warmth she saw in him when he first spoke to her.

At long last, the man exhaled deeply from his nose and raised a hand to rub tiredly at his eyes as his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Come inside," He sighed, stepping to his left to allow Elsa into his home.

"T-thank you," She stuttered, just barely holding back a grateful sob as she gathered her skirts again and quickly stepped on to the porch. "Thank you so, so much!"

The man only muttered to himself while he watched the young woman brush past him into the warm haven of his home. Once she was safely inside, his aged grey eyes quickly swept over the surrounding forest again with a hardened glare, his eyes lingering in the direction Elsa came from.

He muttered under his breath again, sending a silent challenge into the cold night before stepping into his home and closing the door behind him.

~O~

"Go sit over by the fire there and warm yourself up," The man instructed her as he bolted the front door. "I'll heat some stew."

Elsa only nodded as she made her way to the lit fireplace and sat in the chair closest to it. She didn't really need to warm up, but the soothing heat drifting from the fireplace did help calm her nerves a bit.

"I'm Tobias and that's Lollie," The man gestured to himself before doing the same to the dog hovering excitedly around Elsa's chair, looking for their new guest's attention now that she didn't perceive the young woman as a threat to her master.

The queen reached down tentatively and gently patted the dog on her head. Even though "Lollie" clearly wasn't anything like the bandits' rabid pack of mutts, she never really had any experience with dogs before her whole kidnapping fiasco. When they were little and Elsa first started isolating herself from her sister, she remembered hearing Anna's loud voice bouncing off every wall in the castle, constantly begging their parents to get her a puppy to help ease the void Elsa left behind. They never relented their resolve though, no matter how much she begged. Now, whether that was because of Elsa's volatile ice powers, or simply just Anna's lack of attention span making her unfit as a proper pet owner, she could only guess.

"I'm Elsa."

Tobias didn't respond as he started putting firewood in the nearby cast-iron stove, but he made a low noise of acknowledgement as he worked. She looked around the scarcely decorated cabin while she weaved her fingers together in her lap. It didn't look as if anybody else lived in the cabin, just the man and his dog. She eyed the cream-colored collie laying at her feet for a few moments before looking towards Tobias again.

The only way Elsa could think to describe him was grandfatherly. A wise, tired grandfather looking for peace and quiet but never seeming to find any. She felt a pang of guilt in her chest for dragging him into her mess. If she actually had a choice in the situation, she would've avoided other people altogether. If she could've used her ice powers without fearing for Anna's life, then she would've had a fighting chance against the bandits, but the frustrating truth was, she didn't and she couldn't.

And of course, there was the whole matter of Elsa being a queen. She debated heavily with herself on whether or not she should reveal that fact to Tobias.

"Alright then," He spoke up finally as he dished up a bowl of heated stew and brought it over to her. She took the offered bowl with a small smile and a quiet "Thank you" as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the fireplace with a tired sigh. "So, _Elsa_, where are you from?"

She glanced up at him briefly before looking back down at the small pieces of vegetables floating in her bowl, biting her bottom lip in thought. Admittedly, she was a bit thrown by the question. She expected it of course, eventually, but she also expected him to ask about the bandits first.

"The kingdom of Arendelle," She replied, deciding honesty was the best policy in terms of where she was from, but only selectively when it came to her royal title. She would keep that to herself for now.

A curious look passed over Tobias' bearded face. "Arendelle? You were taken all the way from _Arendelle_?"

"Is...is that far away? I mean, far from where we are now?"

Apprehension boiled hotly in the pit of her stomach along with the vegetable stew. One of the many things the bandits deprived her of during her kidnapping was awareness of her surroundings outside her many holding cages. She knew they must've taken her far from her kingdom's territory, but she couldn't gauge exactly how far. They kept her unconscious for most of the trip and tightly locked away somewhere dark during her rare moments awake. She prayed though, that they hadn't taken her too far.

"It's more than far, my dear," He admitted, practically crushing Elsa's hope into oblivion. He seemed to realize this and offered up the only comfort he could think of. "You haven't been taken out of the country though. You're far from your kingdom, but still close, in a sense."

"Please, I can't stress enough how important it is that I return home."

"I would take you myself, but I'm just not as young as I used to be and my leg makes it difficult for me to travel," He told her regretfully as he patted his bad knee. "And I'm afraid with Winter rolling in so early this year, I don't think many folks around here will be too inclined to make such a journey either. Not to mention this whole business with these bandits. You'll be more hard-pressed finding someone to take you because of that alone, especially if it's the troop of scoundrels I think it is. The weather and the distance of the journey is always up for negotiation if you go to the right people, but Dag and his goons just complicate the narrative."

"Dag?"

"Perhaps I can set you up with a room at the local town inn?" He offered, ignoring her so flawlessly, Elsa had trouble telling if it was intentional or not. "We could get you a job at one of the taverns to occupy your time until Winter's over. We should have no trouble finding someone to take you in Spring."

"Spring?" Elsa's eyes widened. "Oh no, no, no, I can't wait that long. I need to get home as soon as possible!"

"Well then I don't know what else to say. That's the best I can do for you."

"Yes I realize that and I'm eternally grateful for any help you're willing to give me, but I _cannot_ wait until Spring. I can't even wait a week. I need to get home _immediately_. Please, it's a matter of life and death!"

"If that's the case, I can't help you," The man stated bluntly after he fished out a leather-bound flask from his trouser pockets and took a short drink from it. He didn't even bother asking what exactly qualified her situation as life and death, or why the bandits were after her in the first place. He wasn't curious enough to get any more involved with the mysterious young woman than he already was. The sooner he could get her situated enough to move on, the better it'll be for everybody.

He mold over the harsh taste of whiskey on his tongue for a moment as he thought of other options the young woman could consider. She definitely wasn't going to make things easy for him, that was for damn sure. It took him a few minutes, but eventually an idea came to mind along with the mostly unwelcomed face of the only person Tobias could think of ballsy enough for the challenge Elsa was unintentionally presenting.

"But I can take you to someone who can."

"Who?" Elsa asked. Stupid question. As if she would actually know anyone from an area so far away from her kingdom.

"There's no guarantee that he will help though," The man warned, ignoring her again. "You have very bad men after you, young lady. Men who have the tendency to take things a little too personal. They could bring great misfortune to anybody they catch trying to help you. It's a big risk that most men around these parts won't take no matter what reward is offered, but the man I know is a good sort...most of the time. He makes a living doing things other people aren't willing to. If you truly are that desperate to make the trip, I'll take you to talk to him, see if you can work something out."

"Yes, I am," Elsa replied without missing a beat. "Please take me to him."

"I will," He assured her with a coaxing hand before adding, "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But-"

"Yes tomorrow," He repeated firmly. "Take the night to clean yourself up and rest. The wind is starting to pick up again and the trip into town is nearly an hour. It's too cold for you and me to be traveling."

Elsa opened her mouth to tell him that she didn't care about any of that, to _demand_ he take her into town, but she caught herself when she realized why such a statement wouldn't blow over too well for two reasons. One, if what Tobias was saying was true, then he was risking a lot by bringing her into his home. She was completely at his mercy. She wasn't in the position to demand anything from him, especially since she decided not to disclose her royal status to him.

And two, if she adamantly insisted that traveling in freezing cold weather for an hour in a thin-strapped, ruined party dress wouldn't bother her, than there was a very likely chance Tobias would ask her _why_, and for obvious reasons, she couldn't answer that.

"Alright," She reluctantly agreed. "Tomorrow then."

He smiled at her. "Good."

~O~

After another bowl of warm soup and some mild conversation, Tobias showed Elsa to a room on the second floor. It was a quaint little bedroom, much like the rest of the cabin, with plain furniture and basic toiletries Tobias told her she could use to clean herself up.

She looked around the room, noting to herself that the scarce decor appeared more feminine than she expected. There was a small bed in the corner with a flowery, lavender quilt and a little white vanity in another corner with hair combs and half empty bottles of perfume organized neatly along its top. There was also a dark wood wardrobe against the furthest wall that Elsa suspected was probably full of dresses and skirts.

She felt a little uncomfortable using the room, seeing that it obviously belonged to someone else, to some other girl, but she pushed herself to get over when she noticed the thick layer of dust coating nearly every surface in the room. It may have once belonged to someone else, but it was clearly abandoned now.

The queen briefly wondered who might've lived there with Tobias as she slowly made her way towards the vanity and sat down in front of the oval mirror. With a much clearer reflection than the one she had back in the forest, Elsa flinched again at her reflection. She quickly got to work with fixing her appearance so she could look like herself again.

As she stared into the mirror while gently combing her fingers through her hair, Elsa couldn't help but realize that she had taken several things in her life for granted. One of them being the safety and security that her colossal, castle home always proved.

Regardless of how she might still feel about being called wicked names, or being shunned by her people, or heaven forbid, locked away in chains again - nothing could quite beat the horror and sheer panic she felt when she found herself in the deadly hands of unknown attackers.

They were dangerous, unpredictable men who had the low sense of human morality, the perfect opportunity, and the complete lack of empathy, to enact any sort of heinous torture on her that tickled their sick fancy, which for Elsa, being a young woman with a decent amount of wealth and royal power - the list was practically endless. She missed the thick, sturdy walls of her castle with an overwhelming passion. Even her lonely ice castle provided a small sense of security that Elsa would've killed to feel right now.

Another thing she took for granted was, of course, the luxuries that came along with being a royal. Edible food, clear drinking water, and clean clothing would be an absolute Godsend for most people who weren't fortunate enough to have a high title in life, but Elsa was downright spoiled. She certainly wasn't uppity about it though. She wasn't a conceited and selfish queen who rubbed her privileged upbringing in other people's faces. That wasn't the kind and giving ruler her parents raised her to be. But as heir to the throne, Elsa wanted for nothing when it came to materialistic things; beautiful dresses made of the finest material, freshly prepared and expertly cooked food, and a safe bed to sleep in every night. It wasn't until all those things were gone that Elsa started to notice how accustomed she was to them.

It went without saying that the bandits didn't go out of their way to properly cater to the queen's pampered lifestyle. Not that Elsa ever expected them to. That would've just been ridiculous.

Another thing she took for granted was, of course, her sister, but then again, she had already been doing that for years, hadn't she? Her mind always inevitably drifted back to Anna, no matter what kind of situation she was in. It always came back to Anna.

She wondered where the hyperactive redhead was now and what she was doing. She prayed Anna was safe, gathered around the fireplace in Elsa's study with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, as far from danger as possible.

The queen closed her eyes as a serene mental picture of her loved ones began to develop in her mind. They were all arguing with each other while planning Elsa's grand rescue. The queen smiled softly at the thought. She could picture each one of them so clearly in her head.

Anna would be nothing but stubborn in a situation like this, determined to escape the sheltering walls of the castle and set off in the first direction she could think of in hopes of finding some clue as to where the wedding-crashing, sister-napping bandits ran off to. She would listen to no discouraging pleas for her to stay inside the castle from loyal servants like Kai or Gerda. If it had been entirely up to the feisty princess, she would've mounted a horse and rode off into the unknown days ago, to seek out Elsa once again and bring her home.

That's where Kristoff would come in. The more level-headed ice harvester would duly point out all the flaws in whatever half-baked plan Anna came up with while sitting back in his chair with a cocky, "You-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about" smile. Time would be wasting, but there was no edgewise opportunities when it came to Anna and her ramblings. However, once he poked as many holes in his bride-to-be's plans as he could, he would offer up a better, more sensible solution. A solution less likely to get them all killed.

Then there would be Olaf. Assuming that something pretty and colorful hasn't come along and distracted him, the little snowman would be as useful in the argument as a wet towel. He would agree and disagree with both of his friends on all the exact same points, mindlessly nodding his head as they bickered back and forth while not really following anything they were saying. Not that his input was actually up for debate. He would be all in for a rescue mission, no matter which plan of action they chose to take.

And as for Sven, the reindeer would most likely be on Kristoff's side, whether he actually agreed with the mountain man or not, since Kristoff spoke for him. Of course, Elsa seriously doubted Kai would ever allow the reindeer inside the queen's study, regardless of the circumstances.

Elsa smiled fondly at the little scene playing in her head as she continued to comb her hair, lost in her fantasy. It wasn't until she heard Lollie barking loudly downstairs that she came back to the present. She barely had time to wonder was going on before she jumped out of her chair and gasped when Tobias suddenly came bursting into the room.

"Blow out the candles and close the curtains," He told her, not even bothering to apologize for barging in without knocking. Elsa looked at him with questioning eyes while Lollie continued to howl up a storm somewhere downstairs. "There's someone coming up to the house."

He left the room without another word after that, letting the sudden hollowing silence spur Elsa into panicked action when she realized it could be the bandits. As Tobias rummaged around downstairs with Lollie, Elsa quickly blew out the small candles that lit up the room and shut the dark blue curtains, just like he told her to. She then closed the bedroom door and locked it before moving back to the window and peeking out through the fabric. She heard the front door open and saw Tobias step down from his porch with a shotgun and lantern in hand.

He limped out further into his yard to confront the two figures approaching his property on horseback that Elsa only now just noticed. They rode without any lanterns, making their identities and late night visit to Tobias' lonely cabin all the more suspenseful. They dismounted their horses and stepped into the light of the old man's lantern.

It was dark out still and the lantern light was poor, but at the mere sight of the visitors' familiar black and red clothing, Elsa let out another gasp as her heart started pounding harder in her chest. Sharp frost shot up the handful of curtain clutched tightly in her grasp.

It was the bandits. Not all of them obviously, just two lackeys, but it was definitely the bandits. She was sure of it.

It was both extremely comforting and horrifying to see that the bandit leader wasn't among them. The darkness outside made it difficult for her to see most of their facial features, but from what Elsa _could_ see, neither of them wore a bandanna across their mouths. The leader _always_ wore a bandanna.

It was comforting because the bandit leader terrified Elsa more than anything has ever terrified her before, _including_ accidentally freezing Anna again, but it was also horrifying because if the bandit wasn't there looking for Elsa, than that could mean he was on his way back to Arendelle to attack Anna and Kristoff. That ugly thought made the temperature in her room drop significantly until her breath became clouded.

The trembling queen watched as the two bandits approached Tobias. They didn't appear to be armed with anything another than a small knife or two clipped to their belts, but they walked with a cocky air to them as they regarded the older man with twin smirks. They seemed pretty confident in themselves even as Tobias stood as still as stone with a loaded shotgun in his hand and an angry pooch growling at them from the porch.

The tall, almost rat-faced bandit that reminded Elsa of a beanpole called out a loud greeting, using Tobias' name. It obviously signified her new friend was already acquainted with the bandits, but it was also obvious they were anything but friends by the way he aimed his weapon at them. The two stopped in their tracks and eyed the long barrel pointed at their faces.

The fat, stubby bandit that stood comically next to the beanpole started to speak, but Elsa couldn't hear what anyone was saying now, their tones were too low. They exchanged words while occasionally gesturing with their hands towards the forest around them. Whatever they were saying, Tobias didn't move a single inch. He gave them short, nondescriptive answers to whatever questions they asked him. Elsa feared that his blatant defensiveness would arouse their suspicions, but neither bandit seemed the least bit put-off by the old man's unfriendliness. Throughout their exchange, the two snickered and jostled each other like a couple of morons, making it clear that they weren't taking their search for Elsa, or the possibility that Tobias might be harboring her, seriously.

After several long, agonizing minutes, Elsa let out a sigh of relief and loosened her frozen death-grip on the curtain when the two bandits finally turned away and walked back to their horses. Tobias watched them leave, refusing to leave from his spot until they mounted their horses again and rode off back down the front path.

Elsa tentatively made her way back down the stairs just as Tobias and Lollie came back inside. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes again before looking up and spotting Elsa standing at the base of the stairs.

"I told them I heard a woman crying a few miles East on my way home from the fields. That should buy us some more time, but they'll be back eventually once they pick up your trail again. It would be best if we go tonight," He said solemnly. "I'll get you a cloak."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, that turned out longer than I expected it to. Again, sorry for the slow update. Usually when I start stories I like to update frequently in the beginning so I can build and maintain interest, but I'm a twenty year old college student. Enough said.<br>I'll also be juggling this story with my Rise of the Guardians and American McGee's Alice crossover story "Winter Wonderland", which has a lot more people waiting on it, so that'll eat up some update time too.**

**This chapter was graciously beta read by my pal xshattered-reflectionx. She did a fantastic job with it, but sometimes mistakes and typos are still missed, so if you see one in the content, let me know in a review and I'll fix it!**

**Thanks again!**

**~Scorpiofreak~**


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